A drug dealer nicknamed “cannabis” has been jailed for 32 months following a British Transport Police (BTP) investigation, after being caught with a suitcase full of skunk on-board a train travelling from Warrington to London.
Hung Nguyen, 26, of no fixed address, appeared at Warwickshire Crown Court on 21 September where he pleaded not guilty to possession with intent to supply drugs of Class B status.
He was found guilty at trial and a judge sentenced him to 32 months behind bars on Friday 26 November.
At around 11am on Saturday 15 February 2020, a taxi driver that dropped Nguyen and two friends off at Warrington Bank Quay station reported to BTP that the suitcase Nguyen loaded into his car smelt strongly of cannabis.
Nguyen boarded a train bound for London Euston and officers met it at Wolverhampton just before midday.
He was taken off the train at Birmingham New Street and subsequently searched under Section 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act.
The searching officers discovered 15 kilograms of cannabis sealed in carrier bags inside Nguyen’s suitcase, and he was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply and taken to police custody for questioning.
Nguyen initially claimed he was 16-years-old, however upon analysing his mobile phone data officers found a video of his family singing to him on his twenty-fifth birthday.
The video also showed him being presented with a cake decorated with messages that read, “happy birthday Can” – short for cannabis – and “25-years-old”.
Detective Constable Mark Burgess said: “This was a brazen and frankly ludicrous attempt to move a large quantity of drugs across the country via the rail network.
“I’m especially thankful to the taxi driver for reporting the incident and providing us with the opportunity to catch Nguyen red-handed.
“The public and those that work on and around the railway play an integral role in stopping offenders – they’re our eyes and ears.
“I urge anyone that’s on the railway and spots something that doesn’t seem right to report it to us by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40.
“No report is too small or too trivial – we will always take you seriously.”
